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Snow casts magical veil over Ryedale countryside

Racehorses head for the gallops outside Malton for a snowy ride-out

A view of the frozen roof tops of Helmsley taken from the Stokesley road

Taylor Koeppen, pictured with Frosty, sent this photo and said: “It took about three hours to build Frosty the snowman. I built him with my nanna, Dorothy Nendick, and my little brother Ryan. It was hard work but worth it.”

The gang at Keld Head Farm Cottages, Pickering, sent us a picture of their ‘new accommodation’. They said: “You need to book fast, when it’s gone, it’s gone! We are loving the snow.”

THE wintry weather continued to grip Ryedale as schools closed and a number of accidents were reported across the area.

About 10 schools shut on Monday with the majority re-opening yesterday.

County council highway teams worked round the clock to keep main roads open, however routes including the A619 between Pickering and Whitby and the A171 at Fylingdales were closed due to drifting snow.

Police reported 19 collisions across the county on Monday, the vast majority causing vehicle damage.

The first occurred at about 8.45am on the A64 near Malton, when a Peugeot travelling eastbound left the road and ended up in a ditch before hitting a road sign. The driver did not need any treatment.

There was a collision involving an articulated lorry which left the B1248 at Wharram, near Malton, at about 9.35am. The driver suffered a back injury and was treated at the scene by paramedics.

On Friday, a motorcyclist managed to phone for help after his bike left the A64 near Sherburn and came to rest on his right leg, trapping him under the machine. He was taken to Scarborough Hospital with severe bruising.

Inspector Mick Barron, of North Yorkshire Police roads policing group, said: “With the adverse weather set to continue for the next few days, I would like to remind drivers to keep up-to-date with the latest traffic and travel information and, if conditions are severe, to travel only if the journey is essential.”

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Public toilets across the area were closed after a pipe burst at Lakeside, Thornton-le-Dale.

Becky Bennett, Ryedale District Council’s Streetscene manager said the decision was made to avoid damage being caused to other toilets during the current freeze, but they would re-open as soon as the weather conditions improved.

She added that households had not received their normal waste collection service because of the extreme weather.

“Residents are advised to take their waste and recycling items from the kerbside and we will collect them as part of the next scheduled collection.

“We apologise for any inconvenience. However it is essential to manage the risk associated with the health and safety of our staff, the public and potential hazards associated with the large refuse vehicles at times of such weather in rural areas.”